REroRTs OF Societies. 



175 



favourite dishes on special occasions. The following migrants had been 

 noted in this district by Mr. Morton, and others : — March 18th, chiff-chafF ; 

 25th, wheatear ; April 6th, brambling ; 11th, swallow ; 12th, tree pipit 

 and yellow wagtail ; 14th, cuckoo. 



Meeting May 4th. — Lecture by Mr. J. L. Chaplin, on " Carbon and 

 its Compounds." Mr. George Parkin presided. The lecturer com- 

 menced by alluding to the wide difiusion of this element through nature. 

 Accepting the nebular hypothesis as the most plausible theory of the 

 ■world's origin, he described the probable condition in which carbon must 

 have existed at that period. After referring to the various forms in 

 which carbon is found to exist on the earth's surface, he entered into a 

 brief explanation of the laws of chemical combination, showing how they 

 affected the element of carbon He then rapidly reviewed many of its 

 combinations, which he classified under various heads. The concluding 

 part of the lecture was occupied with a notice of the important work 

 accomplished by carbon in the vegetable and animal kingdoms. The 

 lecture was illustrated by various experiments, conducted by the 

 lecturer's son, Mr. J. H. Chaplin. Mr. Wrigglesworth reported the 

 following spring migrants. Swift, at Fenay Bridge, May 1st ; sand- 

 martin, at Clayton West, May 2nd ; house-martin, at Bretton West, 

 May 2nd ; landrail, at Thornes, May 2nd.— E.B.W. 



Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. — The second excursion of the year 

 was made on Saturday, 14th May, to the Rivelin Valley, with Sheffield as 

 a rendezvous and meeting-place. Admirable arrangements having been 

 made by Mr. J. C. Burrell, the local secretary (who is also the secretary 

 of the Sheffield Naturalists' Club), two parties started in the forenoon for 

 the exploration of the Rivelin Valley by two separate routes. One — a 

 botanical party — was led by Mr. A. Carr ; the other — geological — by Mr. 

 J. A. Blaydes. Such of the Sheffield members as were able only to 

 spare a half-day, drove in the afternoon to Cliffe Rocher, or "Little 

 Matlock." The meetings were all held at the King's Head Hotel, 

 Sheffield. In the absence of the president and vice-presidents, Mr. 

 Alfred H.Allen, F.I.C, &c , president of the Sheffield Naturalists' 

 Club, was called to the chair. The roll-call showed that representatives 

 were present from Barnsley, Goole, Holmfirth, Leeds (Concholgical 

 Society, Geological Association, and Naturalists' Club), Rastrick-cum- 

 Brighouse, Sheffield, and Wakefield. The individual attendance, mostly 

 Sheffield members, was about 70 or 80. The list of new subscribers 

 included Messrs. Geo Foster and Wm. Foster of Market Weighton, Mr. 

 A. Bottomley of Keighley, Mr. T. E. Vasey of Harrogate, Mr. C, J. E. 

 Brolighton of Wortley, and Messrs. W. G. Roper, Geo. Siddell, Wm. 

 Sissons, G. S. Cadman, W. R. Career, A. Scargill, J. C. Burrell, J. E, 

 Westby, and A. E. Law, of Sheffield. Thanks were voted, also for 

 donations to the library, of which the list included 26 titles. A 

 hearty vote of thanks was then passed to the local secretary, to the 



